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Lack of exposure to Truth leads to blindness…

Sep30

Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent.But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 HCSB

The context of these verses reminds us that Jesus is about to send off his 12 disciples to go out on a mission to preach and heal. Knowing they will face hardship and suffering, Jesus highlights the tender care of God towards a sparrow. As His eye was on the Sparrow, even more was His eye on them. Too, He reminds them that since He is so aware of the number of hairs on their heads, then they need not be afraid. Jesus assures them that they are worth more than many sparrows. 

So off they went to face opposition, disappointment, persecution, and who knows what else, with confidence. They had experienced numerous events where Jesus revealed his power. They knew from experience that His words were powerful.

Then where does that leave us? We still have God’s word. We still have the verses from Matthew illustrating the depth and intensity of God’s care for us. And like the disciples, we have experienced evidence of God’s care over our lives. And where do we find such assurance, if not in the Bible? 

Individuals prone to sin as we are need a daily dose, a reminder, if you will, of God’s care. But if we don’t get that by reading the Bible regularly and spending time with God in prayer, what will be the end result? Well, I will tell you. We will futilely chase after worldly solutions attempting to resolve those trials, hardships, or suffering. And all the while, our solutions are but just a Biblical turning of the page away!

Without the solutions contained within the Bible, we won’t have the ammunition to fire back at the enemy. And he is so cleverly deceptive. We won’t even realize we are being manipulated, deceived, or distracted by his lies. We won’t realize we are being conformed to take on the world’s perspective. And as the lies are fired at us, we become desensitized to them. And doubts about God’s care for us will begin to take root. We will become fearful, doubtful. Goodness, I could go on and on with a list of Satan’s fiery darts he could choose with which to attack us!

Additionally, you see not only do we need to have consistent exposure to the Truths of God’s word, we must believe them! Obviously, the more exposure we have, then the stronger our faith will be. And not only that, our eyes will be opened to the details all around us that prove God is, in fact, taking care of us. It was just our lack of exposure to God’s truths that had resulted in our blindness.

Lamentations 3:22-24, 26 …my take

Aug26

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.

The book of Lamentations, attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, was written following the destruction of of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. They were feeling the consequences of their disobedience. The city is in ruins, the people are in mourning, and the atmosphere is heavy with despair. (BTW, the word portion means inheritance)

The above verses remind us that our God is faithful. Even when our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us. However, God’s word reveals to us that with the dawn of every morning, we can begin anew. We just need to be reminded of these verses in Lamentations. Hope can be restored and with faith we can wait quietly for our God’s deliverance. Just seek Him and be at peace. The fiery darts of doubt, worry, fear, etc., can be thwarted.

Oh, trust me, it won’t be easy. It may take awhile to regain our footing after difficult circumstances. The fiery darts of the enemy can come in like a flood. Especially, in our weakened moment. That’s why God has given us the ammunition of the above truth thought to resist the enemy’s weapons. Every morning we rise and turn our focus towards Jeremiah’s words to the suffering. Then we put one foot in front of the other. We remind ourselves of who God is. That He is bigger than our disappointments, our fears, our sufferings, our trials, etc. No matter what the enemy throws at us to bring us down, he cannot defeat God. (In 1 John 4:4 the word them refers to false prophets and those spreading deceptive spiritual ideas against Christ)

Remember, even if we have to refresh our faith every morning with these verses, we must keep at it. The enemy doesn’t give up easily. But be reminded that he is a defeated foe and eventually, we can claim the victory for our God fights the enemy and wins.

The Bible and the Truths therein, are our most powerful weapon against the enemy. But if we don’t go to God’s Word, we won’t know that! Will we?

Isaiah 61:3, My take…

May13

To give some context, Jesus was in the synagogue reading the above verse. He declared to the listeners that He was the one the prophet Isaiah was speaking of, The Messiah.

What I want us to do is direct our attention to is what the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has to offer those who believe in Him:

a crown of beauty instead of ashes

joyous blessing instead of mourning

praise instead of despair

The words ashes, mourning, despair reflect a state of misery. Now contrast that with beauty, joy, praise. I wonder why any sane person would choose ashes, mourning, and despair over beauty, joy, and praise. I’ve pondered this often. And I have noticed, even in the Christian community, there are those who take their belief in God too casually. They don’t feel the need to engage in Bible reading or invest time in prayer. They don’t feel the need to become involved with a community of fellow believers. For the enemy has blinded them to the necessity of these for good spiritual health.

But you see, they won’t feel these needs, if they avoid learning what the Bible has to say about living such a life. The enemy stands ready to convince individuals that going your own way promises the greatest and most desirable form of freedom.

But that’s nothing but a trap of lies. For Christianity holds the promise of genuine freedom. For you know, Jesus really did die to pay the price for our freedom, so we wouldn’t have to. It’s no lie. When we leave this earth we truly are bound for heaven as God’s own. So let’s open our eyes, and refuse to be deceived by the enemy, the liar. He desires to destroy as many of us as possible. Just to get back at God.

However, if we would rather become oaks of righteousness, possessing the transforming power of exchanging what the enemy has for us for what Christ has for us, then it’s a matter of who we permit to rule our thoughts. Thoughts which are ruled by God’s word will know true eternal freedom!

Philippians 4:6-7, My take…

May6

When the apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Philippian Christians, he was in prison in Rome. And while in chains he is writing this letter of encouragement and joy to them. Seriously! How is it possible that Paul could avoid being anxious or not worry in such a setting? Paul gave the formula for how such a thing is accomplished. Pray! And not only pray but pray with an attitude of thanksgiving.

This verse gives us a lot to take in. Our sin nature balks when we are told not to worry. It’s quite difficult to face a challenging situation that any normal human being wouldn’t worry about. Oh, and may I remind you about the fiery darts. Worry or being anxious is definitely one of the enemy’s most often used weapons against us.

So don’t let worry or anxiety catch us off guard. Don’t for one minute believe the lie that we can’t help worrying. Therefore, in order to prevent being overwhelmed with worrisome thoughts, we need to shift our focus. And that’s where prayer comes in. Prayer must be our default response when the temptation to worry or become anxious assaults us. Two components of prayer in this verse are: the kind of prayer where we share our feelings about the situation with God, and petition is where we make specific requests concerning the situation.

In this verse we are advised to flavor all those prayers with an attitude of thanksgiving. Maybe I can describe how this works with a personal antidote. A reoccurring temptation to worry about my future often makes attempts to intrude my thought processes. But I know if I allow those thoughts to enter my head, they will take over. (FD’s 3rd edition, p66) Therefore, I immediately put a ‘Not welcomed” sign over the doorway of my mind when those fiery darts attempt entry. And I block those temptations with prayer.

In my time of prayer I not only cry out to God about my worries, but I frame them within an attitude of thanksgiving. I thank God that He is in control of my situation. That He is my refuge and strength which I can call upon. That in the midst of my circumstance God’s comforting presence is with me. Eventually, an unexplainable sense of peace will fill in the space left by the rejected worry.

So, we can worry thus invite an assortment of fiery darts. All fashioned to take up residence in our thoughts. Or we can choose to reject the enemy’s lies. And take a deep dive into the Scriptures for the mighty weapons of God that will expose the lies. These will be the Truth thoughts which will now rule our thinking. Thus, an unexplainable peace will settle over us like a calming breeze guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Add Distraction to the List

Mar25
Fix our eyes upon Jesus. Look neither to the right or left. Shut out the distractions. based on Hebrews 12:2

Think about it. What keeps us from spending time with God in prayer and His word? Most of the time, I daresay, it’s distractions. Often I have referred to the manipulation and deception of the fiery darts of the enemy. But in the last year, I have come to realize that loosing my focus can happen as a result of the fiery dart of distractions.

Lately, I am being made aware of how the enemy once again is using distractions to manipulate my focus. Our four children are scattered here and there, as well as their children (our grans). Two years ago, my best friend of twenty plus years passed away. Four years earlier my beloved mother transitioned to heaven, joining my father. Needless to say, the temptation to focus on my lack of contact with them is ever present.

Add to that at 77 years of age, I wonder just how much longer I have on this earth. That consumes a lot of my thoughts. Running out of time to make memories with those that I love. Running out of time to resolve conflicts. And quietness and an unbusy life is the fodder for self-pity. And I read the headlines and fear, coupled with the lack of interaction with my family, is a menu for despair. Oh I could go on and on!

The most effective weapon against such is the Bible. Yep, all that truth compressed within the pages of Scripture could and can tear down the walls of human reasoning and destroy false assumptions. By distracting us from spending time with God in His word and in prayer, we just aren’t informed. We aren’t aware of our weapons or how to use them.

These distractions divert our focus thus turning it inward. It takes a greater discipline to redirect our focus toward Christ and not ourselves. But we know that if we want to please God, then we had better learn how to reject the enemy’s device of distraction. Every time our focus turns inward, try quoting, “May this weapon formed against me not prevail.” That shifts our thought processes. We can now direct our focus to ponder Truth thoughts like, “All things work together for the good. For those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

If my attention is manipulated by the enemy’s distractions then I will be blinded. What I will fail to see is that my husband and I have more time together. I have more time to spend quiet moments daily with God. His Word reminds me that He is in control and I need not fear. Yet, the enemy’s distractions will blind me to these Truths.

Conflicting Thoughts…

Mar18
Fighting fiery darts

Sometimes our struggles require a presence of mind that is dependent on a source that is far beyond anything we can produce in our own strength. There can be instances in our lives when problems start piling up. Before we can get a handle on one, another one shows up. We are caught in a weakened state. It is in such times that the enemy takes advantage. For our reserves have been depleted and we just can’t seem to muster the strength we need. We might notice that the Bible verses that have been helpful previously just don’t carry the weight (for whatever reason) they did before. If we are not wise to the enemy’s tactics, we might give into this deception.

When we find ourselves in this type of dilemma, there is a plan of action available. Begin by searching for Scripture verses that identify what we are dealing with and how to resolve it. For example, fear is an often used weapon by the enemy, especially these days. Thankfully, God has an abundance of methods to counter the effect of fear from ruling our attitudes and therefore our actions.

Case in point, Satan is running rampant these days dispensing fear with news headlines. It affects everyone, even Christians. However, as Christians we have a defense. In the midst of this drama, our default response is to search God’s word for wisdom. How about Isaiah 41:10, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold onto you with My righteous right hand.” Or 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

When we are tempted to fear, the following plan of action should be imployed. First, we must recognize the weapon of the enemy; to strike fear in our hearts. Next we must reject it outright. Don’t allow it to sink its poisonous roots into our thoughts. Then in its place we plant the counsel of God about what to do concerning the fiery dart of fear. By allowing the power and truth of God’s words to sink into our thinking, fear is dispelled. As a result, it will be God’s wisdom and understanding that will shape our attitudes and therefore our actions, not fear!

Thing is, Satan’s plan is to distract us from God’s word. By the way, that fearful thought I mentioned previously, that “the Scriptures just don’t seem to work anymore” didn’t come from God, you know. (The enemy is just adding confusion to your struggle)! So my advice is to push through that fear or whatever fiery dart is shot at us. Search the Scriptures for biblical counsel that addresses that disturbing thought (lie, fiery dart). And every time that fiery dart pops into our heads, contradict it with God’s Truth thought. Battle Satan’s lies with God’s Truth. That’s how we extinguish conflicting thoughts.

Overcoming fear through God’s Word…

Mar11

Since last Saturday, I find myself watching the news far more than I usually do. I search for headlines daily reporting on the Middle East crises. (Choosing my sources for this information requires that I depend upon God for guidance.) Considering the nature of the rhetoric, I could picture the enemy reaching for the poisoned dart of fear. Biding his time as to when to fire it off.

I confess, prior to February 28 I was already caught up in a fight of resistance against fiery darts. Resistance against some personal issues of worry, confusion, and anxiety. And right up until the day before, I was dealing with this onslaught. Then Saturday happened. So realizing I was already in a weakened state, Satan added his pièce de résistance – fear!

If I was to have any hope in countering the enemy’s plan, I knew I needed to secure an alliance with a force greater than my enemy. Past experiences has proven that spending time with God in His word and prayer is the key to deflecting the enemy’s attacks. This has been my modus operandi in extinguishing an invasion of fiery darts. Yet, I can tell you it wasn’t a sudden fix. It took days of prayerfully reading and meditating on God’s word for the transforming truths to penetrate. And along the way as I availed myself to God’s truths, I settled down. The fiery dart of fear, lost its momentum along with the worry, confusion, and anxiety.

Satan goes after the most vulnerable. That would be those who aren’t equipped with the weapons of our warfare. Stands to reason, if we aren’t aware of our weapons we won’t know how to use them. Therefore, we are easy prey. Understandably, getting informed of how in control God is, we will have the confidence to endure. And that my dear readers is how we can overcome fear and all its fiery dart companions. No matter how the headlines read!

The Shaping of a Christian…

Feb18

Isaiah 64:8

8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
    we are the clay, and you are our potter;
    we are all the work of your hand. ESV

Last post I referred to God’s attention to detail which I discovered in my study of the book of Revelation. Details so precise, so detailed only God could have designed them. I learned that it is the application of these truths we find in the details that shape us.

But I’m sad to say this is where the enemy promotes his greatest deception. The point Satan aims for is to diminish the level of impact by Christians for the sake of Christ? He knows the outcome of a life shaped by the Truths of God’s word. And he fears it. So his goal is to keep us distracted so we aren’t shaped by those truths. That opens up the opportunity for us to be shaped by anything but God’s Truth.

So how does God’s attention to details shape us? It was a slow dawning for me. Several years ago, I was going through a particular difficult time. Prior to this, my commitment to spending time with God in His word was severely lacking. Oh I prayed a lot! So I guess you could say I was talking (more like complaining) to God more than I was listening to Him. But there came a time when I couldn’t even put words to my struggles.

Desperate, I just opened my Bible and began reading. Starting actually in Psalms. When I came to words that spoke to my pain, I recorded it. Keeping at it, eventually my mind settled down. Eventually, the fiery darts of confusion and fear were displaced with a clearer mind and a growing faith. Not to mention a growing dependency on the Truths of Scripture.

Once I began experiencing the healing as it applied to my trials, more and more of the details were revealed. For example, when I found myself worrying, God directed me to Scriptures revealing His plans to counter the fiery dart of worry. Philippines 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV The more I focused on this Truth thought the more I believed it. The more resistance I gained in warding off the enemy’s fiery darts. The greater my peace.

Now, just multiply this act with consistency. Growing stronger and gaining in resiliency in warding off the enemy’s attacks is the shaping process. God’s word is designed to help us overcome the enemy. But deliberate effort made in the study of God’s word is the key. The deeper we dig the more we discover. And as life happens we will discover even more details that shape us. God will show us the right way, He will point out the road for us to travel, He will lead us by His truth and teach us.

Blessings and Strength Dispensed by God’s Word

Feb11

In my previous post, I shared with my readers links to Verse by Verse International. In particular the study of the book of Revelation as taught by the late Stephen Armstrong. As I delve into this study once again, I am reminded of the blessings discovered there. I’d like to share a few of those.

Remember the reference I included about the blessings that were promised by God for those who took part in the book of Revelation? So, it’s some of those blessings I want to make mention of in this post.

In examining Revelation, one of its most outstanding aspects to me was God’s attention to details. Details that aren’t revealed by a casual reading. It is in the cross referencing verses from other sections of Scripture that shed light on what is contained in Revelation. Stephen Armstrong’s approach was simple but profound in its application. The imagery and symbols, throughout this book, are difficult to understand. However, according to S.A., “We never need to guess at the meaning of important symbols because the answers are in the Bible somewhere.” And you know what? He was right! In this study I was introduced to the Golden Rule of Interpretation, “…it says that when the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, we seek no other sense.” In other words, there is no need speculate as to what the text might mean. So armed with these rules, I waded into the water.

Now back to the blessings. Recalling the impact my 2020 study had, I anticipated this refresher course would bring the same results. Therefore, the enemy’s plan to sidetrack my efforts were foiled. For I knew that God’s attention to detail was provided with the intention of helping me understand. Knowing God is in charge of my future, I have no reason to fear or worry. Not just for me but for anyone who is His child. For the Bible is rich in verses that assures us about such things. For instance, God promises us that he keeps His word to keep the covenant He made with us in our salvation.

Yet, I am a human being. And as long as I live on this earth my self-centered self-serving sin nature will be susceptible to temptation. The only way for it not to rule my thoughts and influence my attitudes, (therefore my actions) (FD, p.28) is to submit those thoughts to a force greater than myself. That force, of course, is the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ. But that spirit must be nurtured to grow in strength. I accomplish this by absorbing with consistency Truth thoughts from God’s word. The more I absorb the more my wisdom and strength increase.

Finding Hope: God’s Protection Amidst Turmoil

Jan28

With all the disruption taking place in our country these days, we need something to cling to that will inspire hope. Something that will strengthen our grasp on the assurance that evil will not prevail. So where are we to turn? Many turn to the wisdom of man, the power of worldly weapons, the strength of government, or financial wealth. Only to find these fall short to offer the protection we need. We may try religions that promote a variety of methods but fails to direct our focus towards the Triune God of Christianity.

In such trying times, we must be alert to the deception and manipulation of the enemy, aka Satan. Lies are his foremost fiery darts. The weapons he exploits to manipulate and deceive. Especially, those who without a relationship with God through Christ, become his pawns. And if we as Christians fail to search the Scriptures for answers, we will face the temptation of despair, confusion, and doubt.

Nevertheless, if we open our Bibles, that is where we will find the hope and assurance we need in these threatening days. In particular Psalm 91. Psalm 91 is primarily a Messianic Psalm but presents a clear message to individual believers found in verses 1-2

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

And it is by having this mindset that we access peace and assurance, no matter the assault from the enemy. The enemy just can’t compete with this Divine protection of Psalm 91. For this psalm reassures us of God’s faithful presence during our storms. We know that because of God’s protection the weapons formed against us will not prevail. We will ride out the storm. We will persevere. We will rise above and become the stronger for it.